


Smoky Pictures

by tenderwrites



Series: Wildflowers [2]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: City Boy Lucien, Country Boy Jane, Farmers au, M/M, Making Out, Romantic Fluff, Swear Words, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 11:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13340718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenderwrites/pseuds/tenderwrites
Summary: It's the day of the gathering, and Jane is struck by a wave of nervousness. Will the boy he kissed ensure his promise and see the American another time? Find out in this thrilling segment of the Wildflowers series, an exciting saga filled with love, hate, and all sorts of teenage angst as the two boys work their way through feelings and love each other in the process.





	Smoky Pictures

**Author's Note:**

> (Psst. If you haven't read the first segment of this series yet, go do it. Until then, don't read this story unless you want to get to the exciting parts ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ) 
> 
> Hey there! I recently got out of a writing and drawing slump to get up from the dead and write this short but lovely story of my boys in the Farmers AU! It's not much, because I've been occupied with other things too. Things such as working my way through an extended period of insecurity about my stories. However, kudos have been piling up, and once in a while, the nicest comment comes by, and I'm a little heartened. Thanks for all the nice comments and kudos! 
> 
> I'll try not to stay away for so long, but school applications have been pressurising, since I'm done with my secondary school exams and have been waiting impatiently for my results. (It's tomorrow! Everyone panic!) 
> 
> Nevertheless, I will try my best to push out segments of the Farmers AU, and being acknowledged by one of my favourite Freedom Fries artists really helps a lot :) 
> 
> Cheers!

“Hold still!”

Deft fingers work their way around a messily done bowtie and a furrowed brow, as Jane’s mother struggles to keep a stray 17 year old teenager in place while dressing him properly for the occasion. Said occasion is a neighbourly gathering taking place in the new neighbour’s place, whose son is a dashing and suave gentleman Jane rather fancies. The poor woman has no clue why her whimsical son has the idea of digging up one of his father’s formal bowties and putting it on on top of his usual gear, but this is the first ever time that she had seen him so enthusiastic about something so unimportant. Not even the latest piece of American history would distract him; he seems bent on accomplishing this meager task just for a small neighbourhood get-together.

Oddly enough, she is satisfied that her son is finally getting out to know the world better and meeting new people. She is reassured that if his father had been around to witness his son growing up, his face would be streaked with the proudest of tears. Manly ones, of course. In this day and age, men would still be ridiculed for crying, but Jane’s mother knows that is all just bullshit. She stood with her family through hardships and tumultuous periods of time, and she just isn’t about to give that up anytime soon. No matter who her son brought back to the family, she would cherish that person wholeheartedly and invite them to sit at the dining table with their small family.

As she hurriedly pulls on her Saturday sun dress with Jane nagging outside her door to hurry up, she breaks into the widest of smiles at her son. As her hand is dragged by Jane and her daughter, Jesse, who is shouting and screaming at the boy mischievously without a care in the world, the woman’s heart grows three sizes bigger. Even if Dwight has broken free of the porch’s restraint and is delightfully tracking mud on the kitchen floor in his self-choreographed dance, she could deal with such petty things later.

Right now, she has to see for herself the flower that is her son’s life blossom out properly.

\---

It is nearing night time, and the sun descends and waves her last goodbye to the pale yellow corn fields and lush greenery in the background. The lack of city infrastructure gives way to a pallor of wild, white stars waiting to be displayed, putting on their best white suits for the performance. Still, they do little to calm Jane’s nerves, as he fumbles with the pockets of his shorts and his bowtie suddenly seems to be choking him silently and eventually, fatally. Being quite the hyperactive child, he bounces on the balls of his feet nervously and stares at his tied shoelaces for the umpteenth time that evening. The closed and recently knocked-on door appears menacing and Jane could be sure that his heart was lurching unnaturally.

What kind of behaviour were you expected to uphold during this kind of gathering? Definitely not the type that he shows his sister and mother daily and would be frowned upon by gentlemen and ladies of Lucien’s stature. Contrary to today, however, Jane had hit it off quite well with the Frenchie--Jane thinks that he should probably abstain from that nickname in such a handsome, young boy’s presence. It didn’t earn him boy scout points, after all.

At this point, the apprehension is tearing his hair out. What seems like a mere few seconds waiting for the Durands to open the door acts like an eternity; the temperature was warm enough to bathe outside in, yet Jane could distinctly hear the sound of his teeth chattering together like madmen. He desperately tries to soothe their tempers and clenches his teeth together tight, right at the moment when the door is swung open. Shit, he must have looked like a wolf baring its fangs in the hope that it would impress his next mate.

“Hello, Mrs Doe! Thanks for coming to this small gathering. Have you--” All of the small talk the adults made sounds like white noise; Jane’s eyes were instantly primed like a laser, eyes watchful in any direction that hinted at a presence of Lucien. Instead, he finds himself admiring the interior of the simple country house. The young, hot-blooded American observes a few stacks of newspapers highlighting the latest, juicy news about the brave soldiers that held their necks high and made their nationality known by shooting guns and marched to the anthem of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. Jane personally took it upon himself to memorise every line before his 10th birthday. Embarrassingly, he had admitted to a few accounts of Jesse catching him humming it under his breath.

But Jesse wasn’t any of those stinking communists, oh no! She is the sister of Jane Doe, a rugged and violent female that could stand her ground if she so pleased. A pain in the ass, nevertheless. All sisters were pesky to a certain extent, but Jane relished the fact that she could put up and play with him.

He would even go as far as to sacrifice himself and eat a bullet aimed for her head.

But that was just one of the tiny secrets he kept under his pillow, wasn’t it? A Book of Secrets Jane Should Never Tell Anyone, Ever.

Shit, he was thinking way too far into his head again. He had come here to prove his manliness to his potential partner, not gawk at some fancy French pastry on the table or some fancy French painting with a lady inside dressed like a clown. Alright, fine, it was just her makeup, but could you blame him? He had never seen such exotic face painting before.

Strangely enough, Lucien and his perfect hair and eyes were nowhere to be found. His parents were talking amicably to his own mother and Jesse, being Jesse, was already in the process of scouting out the entire house for hidden junk food. Where could he have disappeared to? He looks outside the house through their big glass windows, under the mantelpiece, and even walks around the exterior of the lavish house. Not a trace of his expensive suit or him was to be found.

Ah! He was being given a mission. Jane needed to find Lucien in the time that he spent in the Durands’ house and since he definitely wasn’t outside, he needed to look inside the big interior.

Ripping off the suffocating bowtie, he adjusts his shorts and overalls and sets to his rightful mission: finding Lucien. What surprises the teenager is that the Durands didn’t seem to mind too much about their son, and stuck to his mother in midst of conversation instead of trying to look for him. Oh well. They might have been discussing something important, like taxes or stuff that adults did in their free time. Jane doesn’t blame them. Some parents didn’t care a lot about their kids, anyway. It was always this job or that job, or maybe that woman or this woman, but the reasons varied a lot. Whatever. It wasn’t any of Jane’s business to poke his nose into.

Right now, he has more crucial matters to handle.

\---

The time taken to locate Lucien’s room wasn’t long; he simply yanked open every door regardless of the situation and after a few tries, successfully found that one door was locked firmly. Being the intelligent kid he was, Jane quickly worked out that the reason it was shut was that whoever was inside didn’t want to come out, which would explain Lucien’s disappearance. Success! But it didn’t explain why he wanted to avoid people or not acknowledge Jane’s arrival, so being the intelligent kid again, he rapped on the door loudly and waited for a response.

When no answer came back, Jane swallowed and cleared his throat.

“Lucien? Are you in there? It’s Jane! I’m here!”

“...Jane? Are you the only one there?” The voice grew louder, accompanied by the sound of footsteps inching towards the door. Still, the accented words are soft, as if they are being whispered intentionally.

“Yes!” Jane whispers back, cupping his ear to the door. It is suddenly pulled open, and a warm yet small hand drags the American into the door and shuts it at lightning-quick speed. Now in the vicinity of Lucien, Jane is overcome by childish nervousness and feels his feet getting wobbly. He doesn’t have to say anything before his confused and flustered expression gives him away.

“Lucien, why are you hiding in here? I thought everyone else was downsta--” There’s an abrupt silence settling in the room and suddenly Lucien’s lips are on his, Jane’s heartbeat is speeding up, and nothing else matters in the world right now. Lucien tastes like smoke and sweets and saltiness, which is a strange combination but Jane’s stomach is exploding from the amount of butterflies flitting their wings about so violently. It’s better than he had ever expected their future kisses to be, and when he tears away from him, his expression is dazed and his eyes are dilated.

“I--wow. I didn’t expect you to be so straightforward.”

“I was just happy to see you.” Lucien mutters bashfully, burying his face in Jane’s chest. The American boy feels a pair of hands wrapping around his shoulders, and his face erupts into the most widest smile he has ever given anyone.

“Me too. Why do you taste like smoke though?”  

“Cigarettes.” Lucien replies quickly, as though someone can hear him. Jane finds this nervous quirk adorable, and runs his clean fingers through the shorter boy’s hair.

“But--you’re 17!” Jane sputters out, unbelieving of Lucien’s secret, hidden deep within the caverns of his room. Right now, one of his parents could walk in on them, embracing each other lovingly, or the scent of smoke spreading through the house could give them away. However, Lucien doesn’t seem to mind. The door is locked anyway, and the only way into the room is through a window and the blinds are pulled firmly shut.  

“Doesn’t matter.”

“You’ll wreck your lungs, Durand.”

“Fuck off, Doe.” Lucien counters affectionately and hugs him even tighter. The only response that Jane can come up with consists of the words “You’re” and “adorable”, but the American keeps his mouth shut about the boy’s vice of smoking illegal cigarettes and backs the both of them up against a wall, making the French boy come apart with his mouth and hands. Jane has never known or understood the definition of happiness, but if he were to be asked what it was, he would say a short but complicated name.

“Lucien.”

“Yes?” He replies breathlessly, the bottom of his shirt hiked up to rest above his chest.

“You’re too goddamn beautiful to be with a boy like me.” At this, Lucien narrows his eyes together to stare meaningfully at the boy in front of him, and cups the insecure boy’s cheek with a tender touch of his hand. Even then, Jane admires the sight he’s made of Lucien and stares back at him, getting lost in those steel blue eyes that he wants oh so desperately to sink into.

“Do you know what you make me feel?”

“What?”

“I think the proper term for it is love.” Lucien breathes out, capturing the moment by locking his lips with Jane’s once again, as if they are sharing their last kiss. “You make me feel love.”

"Really?" Jane answers incredulously, but seeing Lucien look at him with a face of strong self-will and determination, the thought does not seem so ridiculous like before. 

"Yes." 

“...I’ll make sure you feel that your whole life.” Jane promises, kissing the top of Lucien’s forehead and making a constellation out of his beloved’s face.

“Please do.”

  
  
  
  


 


End file.
